NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – A quick strike offensive attack helped Manchester University open its final home stand of the 2015 season on a high note Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Sophomore midfielder/forward Bethany Molnar (Chesterton, Ind.) paved the way for MU in a 3-2 win over league rival Anderson University, scoring a pair of goals in the opening 20 minutes. "(Bethany) fully earned (both those goals)," Coach Andy Stout said. "She really worked to get the ball from the defender." Sophomore midfielder Elena White (Greentown, Ind.) added another shot on goal that struck the back of the net to push the goal total to three in the final five minutes before intermission.

Anderson came out strong after the short break, cutting the lead to one goal with 30 minutes left in regulation. The visitors ended the match with 28 shots, but only 10 entered the shot on goal category. Even with one of those striking the crossbar as it sailed just over the out-stretched hands of freshman goalkeeper Caroline Smith (Mason, Ohio) in the closing moments, the Black and Gold (4-9-1 overall, 2-3-1 HCAC) managed to keep AU (7-6 overall, 3-3 HCAC) away from the game-tying score.

Looking deeper into MU's statistics, sophomore midfielder Courtney Hersick (Plymouth, Ind.) added an assist and one shot on goal, and freshman midfielder Priscilla Ortiz (Ligonier, Ind.) tallied another assist. White led the shot chart with four, as one was saved by the visiting keeper. On the defensive side, Smith ended with eight saves.

"It's the attitude right now, and it helps to be at home," Stout noted, talking about the reversal of fortunes from a rough previous span in which the Black and Gold was felled in back-to-back matches by Bluffton University and Rose-Hulman. "The attitude I mentioned is the fact that everyone knows we need to win out to have a chance to get into the playoffs."

Manchester University welcomes Senior Day this Saturday, Oct. 24, hosting Earlham College. The match is set for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff amidst Homecoming 2015 activities.

NOTES: Molnar's two scores were the first of her collegiate career. It was the third multiple-goal outing of the season for an MU player, as freshman midfielder/forward Maranda Birmingham (Kouts, Ind.) and senior forward Brandy Crouse (Cleves, Ohio) turned in similar efforts earlier … The victory, which kept the Spartans just a match out of a three-way tie for fourth place on the HCAC standings, continued an impressive series stretch against the Ravens. They are 15-0-1 in the last 16 matches.